National 9/11 memorial in N.Y. now charges $2 for some reservations

Mark Lennihan / Associated Press

A view of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York.

A view of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York. (Mark Lennihan / Associated Press)

David Ng

Organizers of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York have begun charging visitors a $2 reservation fee to obtain admission passes. Visitors were previously allowed to reserve a pass for free.

The official website for the memorial states that reservations made online or by phone carry a $2 nonrefundable service fee per pass. But passes for same-day visits obtained in person at 20 Vesey Street in New York are free.

The organization also states that9/11 family members are exempt from the $2 fee.

While the museum has yet to open, the memorial portion of the site has been open to the public since 2011.

The new reservation fee went into effect last month and was first reported this week by the New York Post. It has reportedly caused some backlash from families of the victims. The Post quoted one father of a fallen firefighter saying: "They’re making money off the people that died. It’s disgusting."

Joe Daniels, the chief executive officer of the memorial and museum, told the Post that the $2 fee helps to support operational costs.

The memorial and museum have experienced a great deal of political debate over funding. The organization is a nonprofit that has received money from private and public sources.

Leaders of the memorial and museum have pursued more federal support in Congress.